Tissue Holder Tutorial

The gals over at Sew Mama Sew were so sweet to feature my tissue holders from the Handmade Holidays photo pool. Thanks girls!

Tissue holders are great stocking stuffers and a great way to use scraps of your favorite fabrics. I make mine a couple of different ways and I thought I 'd show you how to make a basic model and a variation. They work up quickly and you could add trim, ric rac, buttons...the possibilities are endless.

Basic Model

First you want to create a template. This is hardest step because those squirrely tissue manufacturers all seem to make their travel packs a different size. Mine is 5 1/4 inches by 7 3/4 inches. This fits the dollar store tissues I buy quite snugly but also fit Kleenex brand well.

Next cut out a front, lining and a piece of lightweight fusible interfacing using your template. Then iron the interfacing to the backside of your front fabric.
Place your two pieces right sides together and sew up the short sides using a scant 1/4 inch seam allowance. Trim edges close to stitching.
Turn right side out and press.
Turn lengthwise with the front facing you and fold the bottom up to meet the top. Press.
Unfold then fold the top down and the bottom up to the crease. Like this. Pin. Sew across the short sides using a 1/4 seam allowance, back tacking at the beginning and the end but also in the middle for extra durability.
Pink the sewn edges.
Turn right side out, place your tissues inside and away you go!

Now that you have the basic model down, you can get as creative as you like by adding more fabrics and trim. I like to use two different fabrics for the front and sew a ribbon or ric rac across the seam. This is a great way to use even smaller scraps.

Sew two pieces together that will be at least 5 1/4 inches wide, use your template to cut to 5 1/4 inches. Now, say your piece isn't 7 3/4 inches long, but only 6 3/4 inches long.
Measure your lining fabric and add to the 7 3/4 inch length the extra inch that your front fabric was short, making it 5 1/4 inches by 8 3/4 inches. Cut your interfacing to match your front fabric and iron it onto the wrong side of the front fabric.

With right sides together, sew up one short side. Then match the other short sides up and do the same.
Turn it right side out and manipulate it until you have the same amount of lining showing on both sides. Press.
Turn lengthwise and fold in half like you did for the basic model. Fold to find the midpoint.
Fold top and bottom to meet midpoint. Pin.

Sew across the short sides. Pink sewn edges.

Turn right side out and viola!

Progress Report

I learned a long time ago that drunk-dialing is bad...very bad. As of last night, I learned that drunk-blogging is no better. A bit of early-morning editing was in order around here as well as a promise from my other half not to encourage any late-night, alcohol-fueled debauchery. Carry on.


As promised, I do have some things for show and tell in the Handmade Holidays department.


My first sock monkey. I've had the socks and instructions for monkey-making for a very, very long time. I have no idea why it took me so long to try this. I think I was afraid of messing it up, as there is no pattern, just some rather loose instructions on where to cut and sew. This was great fun and I'm pretty sure that I was born to make sock monkeys, but not sure why it was never brought up as a career path. I want to make more, but haven't found the socks in my area. Does anyone know a good source for monkey socks?

I'll show you rest of the little guy after Christmas. He is a gift for a very special person in my life and I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.


This little birdy pincushion is the prototype for another project I'm working on. I kept this guy for myself, but cut off the leaves and reworked the band a bit and made a couple more for friends. I'll post more about this whole project later in the week.

A few quick and easy tissue holders for teachers' gifts.


A rather ambitious sewing project that has taken over much of our dining room as well as our lives. If you happen to see a very handsome, bearded man trailing bright strips of fabric from his shoes, please send him home. I need the fabric...and he has my wine.

doorstop

I made this from a pattern in this book. I love Lotta's simple style and her graphic fabrics. This was a kitchen towel that I had squirrelled away, thinking the print was too pretty to get all stained.

I cut the sides of the pattern down 1/2 inch on each side, but if I were to make another one, I would cut the bottom down about 2 inches, making the whole thing shorter, because it is still quite large and it took a lot of filling. Jan suggests using beans, and...um, I have to agree on that one. Sand does not work well, people. Besides, if we have a really bad winter, I know I can always tear it open and cook an emergency pot of beans.

It's certainly an improvement over the old one.

Heart to Hold

It was much too cold to go out today or work in the basement so I grabbed a cup of tea and started going through my February issues of MSL. It wasn't long before I was at the sewing machine. These are from the Feb. 2005 issue. Cute and instantly gratifying which is good, because everything else I have my hands in these days seems to take forever.